Gadgets & gizmos to turn costly

Gizmo geeks had little to cheer about in this Union Budget. The excise duty hike by two percentage points in all probability will lead to price hike in computers, laptops, tablet PC and netbooks, both manufactured in India and imported from abroad.

Gizmo geeks had little to cheer about in this Union Budget. The excise duty hike by two percentage points in all probability will lead to price hike in computers, laptops, tablet PC and netbooks, both manufactured in India and imported from abroad.

The computer manufacturers did not immediately comment on the price hikes and only said that they were studying the quantum of the impact.

Alok Bhardwaj, president of MAIT (Manufacturer’s Association for Information Technology) said the prices of all computing products would definitely increase. “The only question is about the quantum of price increase which is an individual company’s discretion.” Bhardwaj said that due to the counter-vailing-duty (CVD) the price of imported computers would also rise.

“There is no way we can absorb the excise duty hikes and it will be passed on to the consumers,” a senior executive of a computer manufacturer told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity.

Global consultancy Deloitte said that the increase would also extend to computers and their peripherals which are presently excisable. “The resultant increase in incidence of excise duty is bound to have an impact on the prices of such goods,” Deloitte said in a statement.